Change of Heart
by A Darker Dari
Summary: After a theif breaks into KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba begins to think that innocence is overrated. Meanwhile, Bakura's getting a new partner in crime, to steal the Millennium Items with a new plan of attack. Who is this mystery partner, anyway?


DarkDari: Hello all! I just sort of came up with the idea for this story this morning and decided to write it down...  
  
Lately, I've kind of had this idea rolling around my head for a while that no matter how hard I tried to express it in poetry, it just ended up sounding like I was saying that we don't look hard enough at ourselves for errors and instead look too hard at everyone else... -.- Not quite what I was trying to get across...  
  
But anyway, I came up with this after seeing a news story that somebody got arrested for something...  
  
^^''  
  
And then I figured, "Hey, that sort of expresses what I've been trying to express! Let's write it down!"  
  
So I scribbled it in my notebook, it looked ok, so it's going up here.  
  
Aaaaaand, I'm sure you all don't care about that right now...  
  
I bet you're thinking now... "JUST SHOW US THE STORY AND QUIT TALKING ABOUT IT, BAKA!!!"  
  
^^' So, I'll just say this, and then I'll start it.  
  
This story is from Seto Kaiba's point of view most of the time... And he's just a tad OCC....  
  
At least in my opinion...  
  
(For example, he sometimes slips and calls Mokuba "Mokie" and is generally nicer to people than in the show... Also, he's extremely... calm.... Like calm to a point that it's somewhat scary... ^^')  
  
And also, this is NOT a yaoi ficcie. V_V I know that at some points, while Kaiba's thinking, it seems like one, but that was NOT my intention, and please don't take it that way. He's just trying to point out innocence, which is the main point of this story.  
  
Aaaaand, one last point... ^^' I'll try to be breif... In my opinion, Domino city is in the US state of New York, just a little ways away from New York City.  
  
Don't ask why, just go with me here. I like New York.  
  
Alright, so with that said, let's get on with the ficcie!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Kaiba}  
  
I sat at my desk, shuffling a few papers around, trying to get them in the right order, occationally looking up at my laptop's screen to make sure I was doing it it correctly.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Seto." Mokuba apologized again for maybe the millionth time. "I didn't mean to me-"  
  
"I know you didn't mean to knock my papers over, Mokuba. It's all right." I said to him without looking up. I tried to keep my normal seriousness out of my voice so that he would know that I meant what I said.  
  
It didn't really work, though, and I ended up simply sounding sarcastic. I mentally winced at this and quickly added, "Just try to be a little more careful next time, all right?"  
  
I looked up at him and he nodded at me, the frown on his face telling me that he was still disappointed in himself. I attempted a smile. "Hey, go and get yourself a sundae, Mokie. You look like you need one."  
  
Mokuba gave me a half hearted grin. "You wanna go with me?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry Mokuba. I... I just don't have enough time to do that... There's this project..."  
  
Mokuba looked disappointed again. "Then you want me to bring one back for you?"  
  
I sighed, about to tell him no, knowing that when he came back, it would distract me more than if I had gone with him in the first place. I glanced into his eyes, which were suddenly giving me Mokuba's almost famous puppy dog pleading look, and reconcidered.  
  
Not that I was really interested in ice-cream, or was even really too worried in Mokuba being mad at me. I had been working really late for the past week, and really hadn't seen much of him.  
  
With one final shift of the papers in front of me, I stood and walked over to him. He looked up at me questioningly.  
  
"Come on. Let's go get that ice-cream." I said to him, smiling. Now the grin on his face was a true one, showering pure happiness upon all who happened to see it.  
  
Ok, well maybe it wasn't all that much, but it sure did a lot to make me feel better about my decision to take him for a treat. Even if it did mean extra work for tonight...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Later}  
  
I glanced up at the clock on my office wall, then looked back down at my computer screen. It was only 1:30. Plenty of time for working until the time that my employees and my brother had set for me not being allowed to work any longer.  
  
On a normal night, I'd be home long before this time, though. I mean, 1:30 in the morning could be considered quite late, I suppose...  
  
But tonight, like I had told Mokuba earlier, there was a large project that I had sworn to myself to get completed by today.  
  
All of the lights in the room were off, other than a small desk lamp that was illuminating my work.  
  
I typed quickly for a while, keeping my eyes firmly on the sheet of data that I was inputting into the computer's mainframe, and trying to keep the numbers from blurring out of sight.  
  
They tended to do that when they were printed in tiny font, especially when it's late at night...  
  
I sighed, then turned to the window to my right and stared at my faint reflection. This kind of work could be tedious, and if a wrong number was inputted, if even a single row of numbers was shifted...  
  
I was too tired to complete this tonight. Even I could see that.  
  
I quickly saved my work and shut down the computer. That done, I switched off the desk lamp, throwing the entire room into darkness.  
  
Turning my chair around and looking out the back window, trying to get my tired eyes used to the dark enough that I could stand up and walk out to my car, I could see the glow of the city lights below me.  
  
The KaibaCorp office building was easily the tallest building in Domino, even if it was merely a dwarf in terms of some of the larger buildings in New York.  
  
At this late hour, I could see only a few cars going by on the streets below, and those that I did see were probably some of the local gangs running around.  
  
Not that this was any different from any other night... The gangs here were always getting themselves into some sort of mischief...  
  
Not that they ever really attacked the big businesses or anything that would get them into any real huge legal trouble. Mostly, they just preyed on innocent bystanders that happened to be near one of their brawls.  
  
Of course, I had only heard this from the newspapers and the few television programs I watched in my spare time. With all the work I always had to do, I almost never found myself going outside at all, much less wandering around where a gang was bound to find me alone.  
  
I shook my head and turned toward my office door, which I had left slightly ajar. Behind the door was my small coat rack that I never used. Some lunitic put that in before I got here.  
  
Suddenly, I froze, hearing a semi-large crash almost right in front of the door, followed by a series of soft-spoken profanities that I do not care to repeat.  
  
All of the employees had gone home already. I had confirmed that around midnight when the last guy besides me had checked out.  
  
This could only be one thing. A theif. The brat must have disabled the security... I smirked.  
  
I silently slid behind the door, squeezing myself up against the coat rack, preparing myself to capture whoever it was by surprise the moment he entered the room. He'll never know what hit him...  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{The next morning}  
  
It didn't take long for news to spread, I relearned when I picked up the morning newspaper. One of the side columns directed me to a larger article somebody had written about last night's robbery.  
  
Better make sure they weren't saying anything bad about the company... I turned the pages to it and began to read.  
  
Nothing much really reported there. The robber's name had been Jason Miller... After being captured by the CEO, me, he admitted that he had been sent by Pineford Co. in order to steal some important documents to bring their company more ahead in the business world.  
  
I rolled my eyes. Pineford was always trying to pull stunts like that, and it really hadn't been very surprising to find that the little runt that broke in was sent by them.  
  
I read on. A few small businesses that received heavy financial support from KaibaCorp had been attempting to sue Pineford for the past few months.  
  
Also... I blinked at this last line of the article. After the arrest last night, the kid's parents posted bail, and he was going to go free, with no penalty other than a charge on his permanent record, later this afternoon.  
  
I shook my head. This was ridiculous. The justice system these days... If a guy is rich enough, he can get away with anything...  
  
Mokuba broke through my thoughts by entering the room at that moment, still in his pajamas and looking sleepy-eyed. "Hey big brother." he said cheerfully.  
  
"Hey."  
  
I glanced at the clock. His middle school didn't start for another hour or so, so I decided he had plenty of time to eat. I slid a plate of food across the table to him and he caught it before it fell off the end.  
  
It, like my own plate, was piled high with bacon, eggs, toast, and other assorted breakfast food items. At the press of a button, a butler came in and filled him a glass of orange juice, then promptly left.  
  
Mokuba sat down to eat. "You ever get the feeling that you're spoiling me, Seto?"  
  
"No, whatever gave you that idea?" I asked, a small smirk coming out on my face.  
  
He grinned at me, then started to eat.  
  
I began ignoring the newspaper right in front of me and just watched him eat, lost in thought. He was so innocent all the time... In every thing he did... I was glad he was my brother...  
  
My mind flashed to when he had been captured by Pegasus so that the jerk could gain control of KaibaCorp through him... I frowned. Why do bad things always happen to people like Mokuba who don't deserve it?  
  
I mean, he had been orphaned as a child, adopted by a weirdo, albeit a rich weirdo, had to watch this weirdo be mean to his older brother, and have all his games taken away from him... And then he was also getting captured by people so as to get through to me!  
  
And other innocent people had it rough too....  
  
All the innocent people that get caught up in the gang activities... They're not trying to get themselves into trouble, and yet that's what happens... Usually, they end up getting themselves beat up....  
  
Even Yugi, who was considered by most people as one of the good guys in the war agains Pegasus, had it rough. His grandfather got his soul stolen, his Exodia cards got thrown into the ocean, and then there were quite a few whackos on that Duelist Kingdom island... Joey Wheeler included.  
  
I suppose it all goes to prove that innocence just doesn't pay... Just because you're "good" doesn't mean that nothing bad is going to happen to you.  
  
"What'cha thinkin about, Seto?" Mokuba asked suddenly.  
  
I blinked, realizing that I had unconsciously been staring at him while I had been thinking. "Nothing, Mokuba." I said, shaking my head to clear it. "Nothing..."  
  
Mokuba gave me a worried look. "You sure?"  
  
I stood. "I'm sure. Come on, Mokuba. We'd better get going if you're going to get to school on time."  
  
"But Seto, there's still a while until school starts, and besides, I'm not done with my breakfast yet!'  
  
I looked at his mostly finished plate. "Close enough, for both of those excuses. Come on."  
  
Mokuba gave a groan that told me he had forgotten to complete some homework assignment again... I shook my head again, this time in amusement. I exited the room, and he followed reluctantly.  
  
I saw him off to the limo where a driver was waiting to take him off to school. Mokuba gave me a hug goodbye and got inside.  
  
The driver gave me a salute as he pulled out, and he headed off in the direction of the school building.  
  
I watched the limo until it disappeared off in the horizon, still lost in thought.  
  
"Sir," A voice beside me murmured. I turned to one of my servants, who had spoken.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We've prepared a limo for yourself to go off to work for today, sir. Unless you'd rather go to school today?"  
  
I shook my head. "No... Today, I'd like to drive myself. A car that's not so flashy, please."  
  
The servant bowed, and sauntered away to go prepare the car for me. I followed him.  
  
Once I was out on the road, I began heading for the KaibaCorp building, not at all in the mood for dealing with the pinheads they called teachers and students today.  
  
Halfway there, I changed my mind.  
  
No, I think I'll go somewhere different today... Somewhere I never thought I'd go before...  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
{Ryou}  
  
I had just stuffed the last bit of my granola bar into my mouth and swung my backpack onto one shoulder, ready to leave for school, when the doorbell rang.  
  
I blinked. Who would want to visit at this time of the morning?  
  
I swallowed the granola bar and answered the door. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, you must be Ryou Bakura." The man standing there said to me. "Can I come in? I'd like to talk to you about something.  
  
I looked him over, trying to figure out why he would want to talk to me, and who he was. I didn't recognize him at all...  
  
He had shoulder length purple hair that curved upward half into his face. His dark shades blocked his eyes, and he wore a somewhat large hat. His long brown overcoat combined with the rest of his appearance gave him the look of an FBI agent...  
  
Which, considering some of the things my Yami did sometimes, that might just be what he was. I better let him in.  
  
"Yeah, come on, the living room's over here... You can sit down there..." I said, stepping back and allowing him to walk inside.  
  
He did so, and I led him to the living room. I set my backpack down next to our coffee table and sat down in the fluffy rocking chair. He sat across from me on the couch.  
  
He sighed, then removed his shades, setting them down on the table. His eyes were a strange turquoise color, mostly blue, but with green mixed into it. "Ryou, my name is Seiko Kaida."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting name..."  
  
Seiko rolled his eyes. "It's a Japanese name. It means Dragon's Force. But that's not what I came here to talk to you about. I have a proposition for you, Ryou."  
  
I blinked. "What kind of a proposition?"  
  
He took a moment to answer, probably thinking of the best way to put his answer.  
  
//That's a disguise he's wearing.// Bakura observed. //Take a look at his eyebrows... They're not the same color as his hair.//  
  
I looked. //They're close enough... It's not a disguise, yami. You assume too much. You need to trust people more.//  
  
I suddenly found myself defending this guy to him. I blinked.  
  
//Maybe you're the one who is too trusting of others.// Bakura returned easily, unintentionally stating my own thoughts.  
  
I shrugged it off.  
  
"Actually," Sieko said softly. "It's not really a proposition for you, so much as it's one that's for your yami, Bakura, I believe you call him."  
  
Bakura mentally blinked, then came out in a temporary physical form. "Yeah, what do you want, then? And quit trying to stretch this out for so long. Get to your point, so my Hikari here won't be late for school."  
  
Seiko blinked at the sudden appearance, then grinned. "Let him go to school, then. You can stay here with him being there, can you not?"  
  
I found my voice again suddenly. "I can skip school for a while. It's not important. What's this all about? How did you know about Bakura?"  
  
Seiko shook his head. "I believe this needs to be kept between your yami and me, Ryou. Go off to school."  
  
Bakura snorted. "Hey, watch it, gaki. Only I'm allowed to boss my hikari around." he turned to me. "Ryou, go to school."  
  
I rolled my eyes. Typical. "Fine, you don't want me here, I'll go." I grabbed my bag again, and headed out the front door.  
  
Then, acting quickly, I cut back around to the backyard, to a spot where I knew everything that went on in the living room could be clearly heard.  
  
"-Items?" I heard Bakura finish saying. "They're of no use to somebody who has no origins in Egypt."  
  
"I don't care about origins and other mythology junk. All I know is that the Millennium Items have power, and that's what I'm needing right now. You can choose to help me get them, and therefore get some of that power for yourself, or you can sit back and watch me get it all to myself."  
  
I could just imagine Bakura rolling his eyes right about then.  
  
"Look, you're right about me also wanting the items, but what I don't see is how you could help me in any way shape or form. I hae already attempted to get the items several times before. It's not just as simple as common street theiving, or whatever you're used to doing."  
  
"I understand that, Bakura." Seiko's voice was low. There was a rustling sound. "That's where this comes in..."  
  
There was silence for a while. Then, "Fine, you've got a deal. But this had better be worth it."  
  
"Oh it will, Bakura. It will. Good day."  
  
"Wait a moment. I'm still not sure I can trust you. How do I know you won't just take off with them yourself and not give me the promised payback?"  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then, "You'll have to take me at my word."  
  
"I can't do that. Unless...." There was a pause. "The Binding of the Gods."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"It's an Ancient Egyptian spell. Both people put a mark somewhere on them, and until the deal is complete, the scar stays. If you try and go off on your deal, the scar will start to bleed." Bakura explained slowly.  
  
I frowned. I knew how this 'mark' was placed on... I'd better hurry and get off to school before Bakura got out his knife, put on the mark, then checked up on me to see if he had been lucky enough to catch me in the middle of talking to somebody or something like that.  
  
For whenever the Tomb Robber used a spell, the effects always spread to me, since I am technically Bakura's body... And that included him carving God Bindings on his arm.  
  
I began walking down the street, trying to contemplate what I had just heard. So Bakura had somebody helping him again, huh? That usually got me into trouble.  
  
I shivered, and my hand suddenly jerked up to my left arm in slight pain. I quickly rolled my shirt up a little so that no blood would soak into it, and simply pressed my hand upon this new wound, a small x just underneath the cuff of my long sleeved shirt.  
  
At least he had put it somewhere I could hide it this time... Whatever. Time to get to school before Bakura realizes it had taken me longer than usual to get there...  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Seiko}  
  
As I stepped into my car, I fingered the small x scar that I now wore on my arm. It still stung just a little, but that would fade by tomorrow. I knew that for a fact.  
  
I had never had a God Mark on me before, but had definitely heard of it while listening to my underlings babble to themselves.  
  
Even with the markings, though, I would soon have all of the Millennium Items. Bakura may not think I am able to use their strength, but then he's never dealt with the likes of me before.  
  
I'm different than any other theif, robber, or plunderer. I'm different, even, than my own father, who also worked at theivery.  
  
I'm different than myself, too, but that's another matter.  
  
Another matter entirely...  
  
And Millennium Items wait for no theif. They had to be caught. Caught by ME.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
DarkDari: Finally, chapter one completed...  
  
So, what exactly is Seto thinking? Who is this new partner of Bakura's really? Is he who he says he is?  
  
What will happen next?  
  
*sticks tongue out at story* Ok, ok, so nothing really plot-wise happened yet, besides this guy teaming up with Bakura and trying to get the Items...  
  
^^'  
  
Oh well! Review! 


End file.
